The nearest exit was not near at all, and I had made a huge mistake.
Growing up in Jamaica, I had only had okra two waysboiled or steamed.
list, along with eggplant, instant pudding, mousse, and risotto.
(Ill never eat salmon mousse, however.
Its not 1987 and its a crime against nature to take delicious fish and dothisto it.)
I learned to appreciate okra during that fateful trip to New Orleans in 2011.
My friends and I had been drinking all day and needed something substantial.
Okra was first cultivated in Ethiopia in the 12th century BC.
It also contains a lot of mucilage, which is what can give the pod that slimy texture.
Lucky for those of us with textural issues, there are.
Mariannas Kitchenproprietor Marianna Farag loves okra and its many preparations.
She also eats them raw.
The tender ones I dip in hummus, and its better than celery sticks, she says.
Serve it with fried flying fish, and you have the national dish of Barbados.
Harnessing okras mucilage is the key to a successful okra dish.
How to buy and store okra
Look for young firm pods that snap like a green bean.
The older okra gets, the more fibrous it becomes, making it almost inedible.
Store them in a basket or paper bag in a cool, dry area.
How you cut the pod can also affect the final texture of your dish.
Wash the okra, then cut off the tops and bottoms and discard them.
Remove the okra from the water with a slotted spoon or spider, and set aside.
Slowly whisk the soaked cornmeal into the boiling water, ensuring that no lumps form.
Once the cornmeal has been added, switch to a wooden spoon, stirring every two to three minutes.
After 15 minutes of cooking, test the cornmeal.
The grains should dissolve on the tongue or turn into a fine paste when rubbed between fingers.
Add the cooked okra and stir for another two minutes.
Take the pot off the stove, and stir in the butter.
Enjoy as an accompaniment to stews or gravy-heavy dishes.
Cut off the tops and the tips of the bottoms, discard, and halve the pods vertically.
Place the prepared okra on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 450F.
Flip the okra halves or stir just once during baking; the 10-minute mark is a perfect time.
After 18 minutes of roasting, check the texture.
It should be somewhat charred with crispy bits.
The longer it sits, the more gelatinous it gets.
